Homes market perks up as we shrug off Brexit jitters

THE average asking price of a home jumped by nearly £3,500 in the past month, with estate agents crediting the ‘bored with Brexit’ effect.

They said both sellers and buyers have become fed up with putting their lives on hold as the political uncertainty goes on and are choosing to get on with moving.

Across Britain, the price of new-to-themarket properties increased by an average of 1.1 per cent or £3,447, website Rightmove said. It was the biggest monthon-month increase since March 2018. The average asking price is now £305,449 – which is still 0.1 per cent lower than a year ago despite the bounce this month.

Rightmove said it is usual to see prices increase at this time of year, but this is still the biggest increase seen in April since 2016. But it added that the uncertain political backdrop continues to hold back the market, with new seller asking prices, the number of properties coming on to the market and the number of sales agreed all below this time last year.

Rightmove director Miles Shipside said: ‘The rise in new seller asking prices reflects growing activity as the market builds momentum, egged on by the arrival of Easter.’

He said the Brexit extension could give hesitating home movers encouragement ‘that there is now a window of relative certainty in uncertain times’.

Bruce King, director of Cheffins estate agents in Cambridge, said: ‘The best way to describe the sentiment in the market at the moment is “bored with Brexit” – fed up with sitting on their hands, sellers are now looking to get on with their lives and move house and buyers are looking to secure somewhere new.’